And it’s ancient at this point.

It engages the RTFM tracking.

Very similar boats! I miss mazdaspeedforums, even more when someone posts a dumb question around here. I really had no intentions of trading my 8 year old MS3 with 36K miles, but I was really impressed with the 4th gen. I really only considered the -Accord 2.0T with a 6 speed when I decided to make the move, but it turned out they were all gone by Spring 2020 and they just hadn’t announced they weren’t making more. It’s hard to make a case for any alternatives now. Integra or GTI, but both have serious drawbacks.

I had mine for 8 years - from 2 miles through around 36,000. 2012 tech package. I didn’t really expect to replace it but drove the new 3 while shopping for my wife’s car. This was not long after lockdown, in kind of a sweet spot where used car prices were climbing and new cars were incentivized heavily. I got a lot for my MS3 and got the new one for well under sticker with 0% financing. It was a deal that I literally could not refuse.

I don’t get to do much fun driving, and I only drive to my office 1-2 times a month, so much of my driving is errands or dropping my kids off. I miss the turbo when I’m passing on a 2 lane road, but not that much in daily driving.

To put it another way, the new one is 90% as fun but 150% better to live with. It’s vastly more comfortable, shockingly quiet, the tech is about 20 years newer, shifter/clutch are better, and you’re not giving up much with that chassis. I think better tires will get back a lot of it, and the people going on about the inferior rear suspension are clowns from what I can tell. Visibility is a little worse out the back, but you gain a camera. Gas savings are not insignificant between using regular and gaining 5-10 MPG.

My only real beef with the car is the cylinder deactivation, and I’m hoping to find a tune that turns it off. I hate the way it sounds and feels. Otherwise, no regrets. Keep us posted!

MT 3 is a great daily. Cheap to run, fun to play with but comfortable and quiet when you just need to drive somewhere.

I would actually say it’s more like driving an RX-8 than an MS3. I won’t say I don’t miss the extra power of the MS3, but it pays dividends at the pump.

As someone that went from an RX-8 to a MS3 to a 4th gen 3 Premium 6MT, but has plenty of seat time with the turbo drivetrain in my wife’s CX-9s, you are on the right track. The automatic is really not fun and the weight distribution is somehow even worse with the turbo than the MS3.

Racing Beat did a lot of the parts on the Mazdaspeed Protege and it’s predecessor, the MP3. I can’t recall the source of the turbo on the MSM. The MS3 and MS6 were mostly in house and corporate parts bin with Volvo and Ford bits.

We have owned Mazdas from 2002 through 2023 model years. And I’ve driven a few 90s and maybe an 80s model. I wouldn’t say they have gone soft and upscale, I’d say they feel less cheap. And I don’t mean that as a knock against the older ones! The newer cars have vastly improved sound deadening, soft touch plastics, and genuinely nice interiors. I love the way a Protege drives, but my 4th gen 3 drives 95% as well and is a nice place to spend time.

I see it from here. No manual.

Definitely top 25, maybe even top 20.

That’s a crazy idea!

Goats came with a variety of 389, 400 and 455 CI Pontiac engines in the 60s and 70s, but then just the Chevy LS in 5.7 and 6.0L for the last version based on the Holden.